Electro-acoustic transducer housing for dampening vibrations

ABSTRACT

An electroacoustic transducer assembly having a deformable elastic material insert disposed within and in contact with the interior surface of a transducer assembly housing for dampening vibrations. The elastic material insert has recesses formed in it to receive various elements of the transducer assembly. Additionally, the insert may be formed with a metal part or inset, such as lead, for providing additional vibration dampening particularly at specific frequencies. A microphone constituting a part of the transducer assembly is mounted in the housing and may be located in the insert, or in a separate insert of elastic material. The contact between the deformable elastic material insert and the interior surface of the housing may be in point, linear or entire surface contact form. A process for assembling a transducer assembly comprising forming an elastic material insert having a size so that it fits within the housing in deformable resilient contact, forming a recess in the insert material, installing various elements of the transducer assembly within the recesses in resilient contact with the insert and inserting the insert and the elements it contains into the housing whereby the insert is held in deformed resilient contact with the interior of the housing.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Rudolf Goerike Vienna, Austria [21] Appl. No. 639,745 [22] Filed May 19, 1967 [45] Patented Jan. 5, 1971 [73] Assignee Akustische V. Kino-Geraete Gesellschaft m.b.H., Vienna, Austria [32] Priority June 10, 1966 [3 3] Australia [3| No. 5559/66 [54] ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER HOUSING FOR DAMPENING VIBRATIONS 1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 179/180 [51] Int. Cl H04r 1/28 [50] Field ofSearch 179/180, 179,12lDlR,121l

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,094,636 6/1963 Gauld 179/180 2,718,563 9/1955 Nicholides. l79/1 79 2,475,782 7/1948 Giannini 179/180 Primary Examiner- Kathleen H. Claffy Assistant ExaminerThomas W. Brown Atmrney- McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: An electroacoustic transducer assembly having a deformable elastic material insert disposed within and in contact with the interior surface of a transducer assembly housing for dampening vibrations. The elastic material insert has recesses formed in it to receive various elements of the transducer assembly. Additionally, the insert may be formed with a metal part or insert, such as lead, for providing additional vibration dampening particularly at specific frequencies. A microphone constituting a part of the transducer assembly is mounted in the housing and may be located in the insert, or in a separate insert of elastic material. The contact between the deformable elastic material insert and the interior surface of the housing may be in point, linear or entire surface contact form.

A process for assembling a transducer assembly comprising forming an elastic material insert having a size so that it fits within the housing in deformable resilient contact, forming a recess in the insert material, installing various elements of the transducer assembly within the recesses in resilient contact with the insert and inserting the insert and the elements it contains into the housing whereby the insert is held in deformed resilient contact with the interior of the housing.

ATENTED JAN 5 I97! FIG. la FIG. lb

Illl'iQi/rl tliriallr!!! new I 5 FIG. Pa

F/G. 4a

{NVENTOR Rumou G RIKE FIG. 5b

FIG. 3a

ATTORNEY:

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an insert for an electroacoustic transducer and, more particularly, to an insert made of a deformable elastic material which is positioned in deformable resilient contact with the interior of the transducer housing for dampening vibrations.

Electroacoustic transducers require switches which are located within the body or housing of the transducer assembly and provide either a simple on-off operation or more complicated control operations, de ending on the type of transducer and the purpose for whic it is used. Where more complicated switching operations are involved, the switch is nor mally provided with a detent for holding the switch in its numerous positions. These switches or control mechanisms tend to initiate vibrations in the transducer housing when the switch is moved from one position to another. The housing generally has a tubular or rod-shaped configuration.

While the present invention is useful in microphones for dictating apparatus and the like, it may be used with any sound transmitters where switches are required, as for example, for a change of the directional pattern and especially in cases where mechanical vibrations develop when a switch is actuated and the vibrations are transmitted to the housing and cause disturbing noises to be picked up by the microphone. Additionally, the invention is useful in any electroacoustic transducer where the vibration is a problem.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an electroacoustic transducer assembly in which the vibrations developed in switches and the like are dampened.

It is a further object of the invention to afford an elastic material as a vibration dampening insert in the transducer assembly housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elastic material insert in deformable resilient contact with the interior surface of the housing.

Still another object of the invention is to position an elastic material insert in the transducer assembly housing so that at least a portion of its exterior surfaces, and in some instances all of its exterior surface, is in contact with the interior surface of the housing.

A still further object of the invention is to afford a resilient mounting in the housing for the microphone portion of the electroacoustic transducer, whether the mounting is separate from or is an integral part of the elastic material insert in the housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a housing com prising a head portion containing the microphone and a body portion, in certain instances the body portion is a unitary tubular element and in others may be formed by two separate sections fitted together to form the tubular portion.

Still another object of the invention is to supply an elastic material insert formed of a combination of materials having different mechanical properties. One of the materials comprising a part of the insert could be a metal, preferably lead, which would have the effect of dampening vibrations at specific frequencies.

A further object of the invention is to furnish an elastic material insert substantially filling the interior of an electroacoustic transducer housing with the various transducer assembly elements, i.e. the microphone, the cable sleeve and connection and the switch, all disposed in recesses in the insert.

Another primary object of the invention is to provide a method for assembling an electroacoustic transducer assembly wherein the insert is so shaped that on insertion into the assembly housing. it will be held in deformed resilient contact within the housing.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. la is a side view, partly in section, of a hand microphone for a dictating apparatus embodying the present invention; v

FIG. lb is a front view of the hand microphone illustrated in FIG. In;

FIG. 2a is a front view of another hand microphone for a dictating apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a side view, partly in section, of the hand microphone shown in FIG. 2a;

FIG. 3a is a side view of another hand microphone embody ing the present invention;

FIG. 3b is a sectional side viewof the hand microphone shown in FIG. 3a;

FIG. 4a is a side view of still another hand microphone em bodying the present invention;

FIG. 4b is a side view, partly in section, of the hand microphone shown in FIG. 4a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIGS. la and lb, there is shown a hand microphone A for a dictating apparatus. The microphone A comprises an clongated housing having a handle portion formed by sections In, lb and a head portion 2. The section la has an elongated slot 1c extending through the housing. The portions of the housing may be assembled together in various known ways, for example, by the use of screws, by threading the head portion 2 onto the barrel 1a, lb or by securing the portions together by adhesive means.

In the barrel portion ofthe microphone, sections la, lb contain an insert 3 formed by an elastic material, any of a number of known materials may be used. As illustrated in FIG. la, a recess 3a is formed in the insert 3. A switch 4 is positioned in the insert and resiliently held by the elastic material. The switch 4 has an actuating member-5 accessible at the exterior of the housing which extends through and is movable along slot 1c in the housing section la. The insert 3 is held in deformable resilient contact by both ofthe sections Ia and lb. In forming the insert 3, its dimensions are made purposely slightly in excess of the comparable dimensions of the interior of the housing so that when it is inserted into the housing, a resilient pressure is established between the insert and'the housing sections 1a, 1b so that the insert is held securely in place.

In the top portion of the housing, another elastic material insert 7. is positioned in resilient contact with the interior of the housing and supports the microphone 6 of the electroacoustic transducer. Though the microphone 6 is shown preferably mounted in the elastic material insert 7, this is not an essential requirement since the remaining portions of the transducer assembly are shown positioned in the insert 3 and this arrangement would afford adequate protection against the propagation of disturbing vibrations in the housing.

In the hand microphone shown in FIGS. la and lb, if any vibrations are generated by moving or actuating the switch 5. the insert 3 in resilient contact with the inside of the walls will afford a dampening effect on the vibrations so that they will not be transmitted through the housing to the microphone 6. Further, any other vibrations which might be developed in the microphone will also be dampened or supresscd by the insert 3 so that the problem of undesirable noise being communicated to the microphone is overcome. With the use of Illc insert 3. the development of resonance phenomena. caused by mechanical vibrations is suppressed.

In FIG. la, it will be noted that the insert 3 is in contact with the wall of the housing for the extent of its exterior surface. While this is a desirable arrangement, it is not necessary that the insert 3 be disposed in this manner in all instances. As an example, it is possible to provide the exterior surface of the insert with projections or protuberances in such forms as rings, ribs, bumps or plugs so that instead of providing a complete surface contact between the insert and the interior of the housing only a linear or punctif rm contact, that is, point contact, is achieved. Further, as shown, the insert 3 has a homogeneous material content. However, as mentioned previously, it is possible to construct the insert of a number of parts each of a material having a different mechanical property to provide the various types of vibration dampening effects required. One of the materials which could be used is a metal,

-such as lead, to provide a particular dampening effect for specific frequencies. 1

ln FIGS. 2a and 2b, another hand microphone B for a dictating apparatus is shown having an exterior appearance of its housing somewhat different from the microphone shown in FIGS. la and lb. The microphone B is composed of a unitary tubular handle portion 11 and a head portion 12 of a somewhat larger configuration. The handle portion 11 has an elongated slot 11a extending from the exterior to the interior of the housing. Within the handle portion 11 is an insert 8 formed of a deformable elastic material and having a recess 8a in which is positioned a switch 9 which is resiliently held by the elastic material. The switch has an actuating member 10 extending through the slot lla to the outer surface of the handle portion 11. The insert 8 is in resilient surface contact with the interior of the housing portion 11 so that it provides a dampening effect on any vibrations which are established in the housing.

Positioned in the head portion 12 of the housing is another insert of elastic material l4 which is formed with a recess 14a to receive the microphone 13. The head portion 12 may be connected to the handle portion 11 of the housing by means of a threaded joint, an adhesive material or other connecting means.

In FIGS. 30 and 3b there is another hand microphone C having a considerably different exterior surface configuration than that shown in the two previous embodiments. The housing has a boxlike construction with the sidewalls converging downwardly toward the base of the housing and it is formed of two similarly shaped separate sections 16 and 17 which may be joined in any known manner. A slot l6al7a is formed in the side of the housing partly in each of the housing sections l6, 17. Within the housing is an insert 18 of an elastic material which completely fills the interiorv of the housing and is in resilient contact with its interior surface. Again, as with the two previous embodiments, the insert is formed to such dimensions so that when inserted into the housing, a resilient contact is established with the interior surface of the housing and the insert is held securely in place. The elastic character of the insert disposed in resilient contact with the housing provides the required dampening effect in the event any vibrations are set up within the housing walls.

The insert 18 comprises a number of selectively-shaped recesses 18a. 18b, 18c, 18d within which the various electroacoustic transducer assembly elements are positioned with an actuating button 19a extending though the slot 16a-l7a in the housing wall so that it is accessible on the exterior of the microphone. Recess 18b contains the microphone ca sule 20, recess 180 contains a transformer 21 for the microphone, and disposed below it is recess 18d which extends exteriorly of the figuration so that when inserted into the housin handle, it establishes a resilient contact with the interior wa s so that it is held securely in place and effectively dampens any vibrations. in the insert 24 is a recess 25 which contains the switch 26 for the microphone having a switch button 26A extending through the slot 23A to the exterior of the housing. Positioned in the housing head 27 is the microphone capsule 28, it can be mounted either in contact with the housing head or it can be supported by the insert 24 so that it does not directly contact the inner surface of the housing head. As indicated previously, the housing head may be secured to the housing handle in any of a number of known ways.

In addition to providing an effective means for dampening vibrations within the microphone, the insert formed of an elastic material has the additional advantage of simplifying the assembly of the various transducer elements into the microphone. By positioning the various transducer elements or control mechanisms within the insert before it is placed in the housing, it can then be simply inserted into the housing and held in place securely by the resilient effect achieved by dimensioning the insert slightly-larger than the interior dimensions of the housing. Even the wiring connections can be fixed into the insert before it is placed in the housing so that when the insert is introduced into the housing, a complete unit is established. Since microphones contain a number of delicate elements as a part of the complete assembly, the present invention provides a shockproof support mounting for these elements within the transducer housing in addition to preventing the generation or transmission of vibrations which result in disturbing noises in the microphone. Further, it will be appreciated that by mounting the elements in the elastic material insert, the microphone will be able to take rougher treatment without any resulting damage and without the development of vibrations which would be communicated through the housing to the microphone.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

l claim:

1. A transducer housing for dampening vibrations comprising a casing arranged to contain an electroacoustic transducer, a molded insert comprising at least two separate parts having different mechanical properties positioned within said casing and arranged in deformed resilient contact with the interior surface of said casing, one said part comprising a deformable elastic material, and another said part comprising a lead metal part for providing particular dampening effects for specific frequencies, a switch element for operating an electroacoustic transducer positioned within said casing and fitted within and resiliently held by said insert, said switch element comprising a switch actuating member accessible on the exterior of said casing, whereby vibrations generated by manipulating said switch actuating member of said switch elementare dampened by said insert so that the vibrations are not transmitted to the transducer.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,553,393 Dated anuary 5, 1971 Rudolf Ggrike Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

n the cover sheet [73] "Akustische V. Kino-Geraete Gesellschaft m.b.H., Vienna, Austria" should read Akustisch U. Kino-Gerate Gesellschaft M.B.H. Wien, Austria [32] "June 10, 1966 Australia No. 5559/66" should read June 10 1966 Austria No. A 5559/66 Signed and sealed this 14th day of September 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Paten' 

1. A transducer housing for dampening vibrations comprising a casing arranged to contain an electroacoustic transducer, a molded insert comprising at least two separate parts having different mechanical properties positioned within said casing and arranged in deformed resilient contact with the interior surface of said casing, one said part comprising a deformable elastic material, and another said part comprising a lead metal part for providing particular dampening effects for specific frequencies, a switch element for operating an electroacoustic transducer positioned within said casing and fitted within and resiliently held by said insert, said switch element comprising a switch actuating member accessible on the exterior of said casing, whereby vibrations generated by manipulating said switch actuating member of said switch element are dampened by said insert so that the vibrations are not transmitted to the transducer. 